Team
Atiyyah Ferouz, PMP, CPGP
Founder, CEO
Atiyyah is a plant scientist with an extensive background in regulated industries. After completing her Master of Science in genetic engineering and plant biotechnology at Western University, she began working at the Research and Development Centre of one of the largest Canadian food companies. During her role, she gained experience in quality assurance, regulatory affairs, and product development in GMP and HACCP-certified facilities.
Atiyyah transitioned into the cannabis industry in 2018. As a Tissue Culture Lab Manager, she helped develop cannabis tissue culture protocols and successfully introduced tissue culture clones into the production environment. She became the Director of Business Development and Operations Specialist at a 1.3 million sq ft commercial cannabis greenhouse in Ontario, Canada, further honing her cultivation and post-harvest processing skillsets.
Atiyyah is passionate about cannabis quality assurance and the establishment of a global cannabis supply chain. She is a Certified Pharmaceutical GMP Professional (CPGP), a trained GMP pharmaceutical quality management system auditor, and is the Executive Director of the International Cannabis Quality Standards Association (ICQSA).
In her spare time, Atiyyah enjoys sharing her insights with the cannabis community and she is a frequent speaker at cannabis conferences. Atiyyah is also an instructor and course content developer for the cannabis management program at the Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences in Toronto, Canada.
Atiyyah operates out of Canada, Germany, and Thailand.
Experience Highlights
Developed and implemented quality assurance programs and procedures at multiple cannabis facilities
Managed operations at a 30-acre cannabis greenhouse
Co-designed cannabis drying racks and custom post-harvest automation
Developed postharvest strategies for facilities around the globe
Designed multiple cannabis tissue culture laboratories
Nathaniel Jones
Consultant
Nate is an entomologist, plant scientist, and an industry expert in cannabis cultivation and integrated pest management. Nate has headed up cultivation departments at 3 licensed cannabis producers, developing and honing entire cultivation strategies. He has a strong command of both Priva and Hoogendorn environmental control systems and hands-on experience commissioning HVAC systems and new cultivation spaces. In addition to his skills as a Master Grower, he has experience in tissue culture, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, and extraction.
Nate operates out of Australia.
Experience Highlights
Experience in both indoor vertical (20,000-60,000 sq ft) and greenhouse (30 acres) cultivation facilities in Canada and Australia
Development of successful cultivation strategies and the teams to execute
Growing trials investigating new technologies and cultivar development programs
Mechanical and HVAC experience – design, commissioning and operation
Environmental management – software and production parameters
Experience navigating regulatory applications and affairs
Ricki Rathwell
Consultant
Ricki is a plant scientist who specializes in plant tissue culture and genetics preservation. At the University of Guelph, Ricki completed her Masters of Science in Plant Agriculture working with endangered species and medicinal plants. Her educational background provided the expertise needed to enter into the cannabis industry in 2018, prior to federal legalization. As a Tissue Culture Scientist, Ricki developed tissue culture and synthetic seed protocols for a multitude of cannabis cultivars to maintain genetics and produce healthy mother plants for commercial production.
Ricki has worked at a variety of cannabis start-ups in the Canadian cannabis industry, assisting in the design and development of multiple successful cannabis cultivation sites. She has gained experience and knowledge in quality assurance, regulatory affairs, and cultivation. Currently Ricki works for a craft licensed producer where she is the laboratory manager, quality assurance specialist, and Head of Security.
Ricki operates out of Canada.
Experience Highlights
Designed and developed tissue culture laboratories and tissue culture protocols
Developed and implemented quality assurance programs at various cannabis facilities
Led creation and implementation of cultivation programs including growth of production plants, mother plant maintenance, and pest prevention management
Established workflows in cultivation and quality assurance departments to improve efficiencies, while maintaining regulatory compliance
John McCluskey
Consultant
John is a quality assurance and validation professional with over 23 years of experience in regulated industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and cannabis. He has a Bachelor of Science from Laurentian University and a post-secondary diploma in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance from the Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology.
John has been in the cannabis industry since 2013 when Canada made the shift from personal to commercial cultivation. He has held the Chief Compliance Officer role at several cannabis start-ups, navigating transitions between cannabis regulations. His previous consulting experience includes working for several full-service consulting firms assisting pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, both domestically and internationally. Through these consulting roles, he has gained hands-on experience with European, Australian, and Canadian GMP requirements.
John operates out of Canada.
Experience Highlights
Led international GMP initiatives to export dried bulk cannabis as an intermediate into the European Union
Led preparatory audits of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, providing recommendations to decrease potential non-conformances according to risk classifications, prior to Health Canada and FDA inspections
Developed and optimized quality management systems in both pharmaceutical and cannabis industries
Assisted a multitude of Canadian cannabis producers in the obtainment of their operating licenses
Beth Daly
Operations Manager
Beth is a Quality Assurance Professional with over 20 years of experience in industrial chemical compliance, crop fertilizer manufacturing, and cannabis.
Beth graduated from St. Clair College with an advanced diploma in Chemical Laboratory Technology and began her career executing QA-related tasks in a laboratory environment.
Beth has completed certifications and accredited training in HACCP, ISO 9001, and health and safety. She has also completed cannabis sommelier level 1 training and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Kaizen Facilitator.
Beth operates out of Canada.
Experience Highlights
Quality Control and Laboratory Manager for an international Tier 1 supplier to the 3 largest automakers in North America
Developed and implemented a Quality Management System for the North American sector of a global crop fertilizer producer, reducing customer complaints by 35% and lowering the annual cost of non-conformance by $50,000
Helped to develop, implement, and maintain quality and regulatory compliance systems as at a large-scale Canadian cannabis cultivation facility
Performed quality assurance, health and safety, and security duties at a craft Canadian cannabis cultivation facility.
Pooja Giesbrecht
Consultant
Pooja is a certified QAP in the cannabis industry. At Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Pooja completed her diploma in the Chemical Laboratory Technology program, focusing on hands-on chemistry, organic chemistry and Quality Assurance and Quality Control courses. Her educational background enabled her to begin her career in the Natural Health Product sector, specializing in topical formulations and CBD products.
Pooja has taken on a variety of quality assurance and compliance roles in the cannabis industry and has additionally gained experience in edibles and extract manufacturing. She has a high degree of experience in QMS development, inventory management system implementations, and regulatory-related projects.
Pooja operates out of Canada.
Experience Highlights
Led, implemented and trained teams across Canada on paper-to-paperless QMS migration
Developed multiple Preventive Control Plans for edibles and extract manufacturers
Audit team lead for a variety of certification audits across natural health, food, and cannabis
Managed national inventory reporting requirements across multiple clients